Men such as Martin R. Delany, a longtime resident of Pittsburgh and the first black major in the Union Army, had life stories as inspiring as any in American history. Yet so many of the African American patriots of the Civil War era and their families remain unknown. Even Delany, who was one of the most extraordinary men of the nineteenth century –a doctor, newspaper editor, novelist, activist, army officer, and political figure– remains largely obscure. This section offers a starting point for the study of some of the great biographies in nineteenth-century America.